Many healthcare professionals have financial relationships with ineligible companies. (An ineligible company is any entity whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.) These relationships must not be allowed to influence accredited continuing education. The MUSC Office of CME is responsible for identifying relevant financial relationships between individuals in control of educational content and ineligible companies and managing these to ensure they do not introduce commercial bias into the education. Financial relationships of any dollar amount are defined as relevant if the educational content is related to the business lines or products of the ineligible company.
If the Activity Director or any of the planning committee members have a relevant financial relationship with any of the topics that will be covered during the activity, at least one of the following mitigation steps will be required:
1. Divest the financial relationship
2. Recusal from controlling aspects of planning and content with which there is a financial relationship with an ineligible company
3. Peer review of planning decisions by persons without relevant financial relationships
4. Other {please specify)